CVS to Pay $315 Million to Settle Federal Opioid Dispensing Case
The company denied the government's allegations and said the agreement includes no admission of wrongdoing.
By James Okafor
· 1 min read
CVS Pharmacy Inc. and several of its subsidiaries agreed to pay $315 million to end a U.S. Justice Department case over the filling of opioid prescriptions that the government said were not medically justified, federal officials announced on October 13, according to Providence Business News, which published an Associated Press report.
The agreement closes a suit the department brought in 2024 under President Joe Biden. Prosecutors argued the pharmacy chain broke the Controlled Substances Act by handing out high-dose opioids written by so-called pill mills, and said thin staffing, sales targets and incentive pay pushed pharmacists to fill orders quickly without checking whether they were legitimate. Many of the prescriptions were paid for by Medicaid and other federal health programs, the complaint said.
As part of the deal, CVS must add safeguards governing how controlled substances are dispensed, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate said.
CVS said it disagreed with the government's claims and that the settlement carries no admission of wrongdoing. The company said in 2024 that its pharmacists faced "vague, undefined, and ever-changing standards of practice" on opioid prescriptions.
Drugmakers, distributors and pharmacies have reached U.S. settlements topping $50 billion over the past decade, including recent federal deals with Walgreens and Walmart.
This story was first reported by Providence Business News.
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